Page 8 of Heated Rivals
She couldn’t let him take the risk. Not for her.
“You know what happens if you do that, Teague. You and Callie end up dead, and he hunts us down, drags us back, and then I marry some man on his list anyway.”
His smile was bitter. “You don’t have much faith in me.”
“I have all the faith in the world in you. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you take the fall for me. I make my own choices.” Between death by marriage and death by convent. Not much of a choice when she looked at it like that—especially since it looked like her father was no longer willing to consider the convent as a choice—but she wasn’t about to let someone else fight for her.
Not when she knew they’d lose.
She’d already lost too much to power games and war. They all had. She wasn’t willing to lose anyone else. “Promise me, Teague. Promise that you won’t do anything to piss him off.”
“Carrigan…” Teague sighed. “Whatcan I do? If I can’t get you out of here, and I can’t save you from this, what the fuck can I do?”
There was nothing to do, but if she told him that, it would crush him. The only thing Teague had wanted more than getting out of this life was to get her and their other sisters out as well. That he hadn’t been able to do either killed him. Seeing her walk down the aisle, delivered to a man he knew she didn’t love, would deal a wound that would fester over the years. He knew she wouldn’t have chosen this path for herself. He knew she wanted out as much as he did.
Andsheknew the cost was too high to risk their father’s wrath.
“The same thing you’ve always done. Be there for me.” She dropped her head onto his shoulder. He was as solid as a rock. He always had been. The contact centered her, and it must have done the same thing for him, too, since he relaxed a little.
“That seems like a cowardly choice.”
There had to be some way she could get through to him. “Mychoice, Teague. Please don’t take it away from me. I’ve already had that happen one too many times.” A low blow, but Carrigan wasn’t above hitting him where it hurt in order to keep him safe. He had a chance at happiness. She might be a selfish bitch, but even she wasn’t selfish enough to take that away from him.
He hissed out a breath, the barb striking true. “Damn it.”
Needing to change the subject and put them back on more familiar—and safe—ground, she said, “How goes the wedding planning?” Both their parents and Callie’s father refused to acknowledge that their marriage was legitimate until they did things “right.”Carrigan found it darkly amusing that there was no end to the sins her father could commit and still sleep at night, but seeing one of his children married without an actual wedding was one he couldn’t live with. But then, she’d always known he had skewed priorities—and that wasn’t even getting into their mother. She took their courthouse marriage as a personal insult, and as a result she was determined to plan the largest and most extravagant affair she could to make up for it.
For her part, Carrigan was just happy the wedding planning kept her mother’s attention elsewhere. The last thing she needed was her other parent meddling alongside her father’s determination to match her up with someone on his list.
This time Teague’s sigh was less agitated. “For all her protests, Callie’s taken the whole thing well in hand. She’s gone head-to-head with our mother a few times, from what I understand, and come out on top at least half the time.”
“Half? Impressive.” She was surprised their mother had concededanythinglet alone multiple anythings. But then, she already knew Callie was something else. The woman had held herself together in the face of certain death and managed to work with Carrigan to get them both to safety. If there was going to be someone to put Aileen O’Malley in her place, it would be Callie Sheridan.
She smiled at the thought. “I like her.”
“I like her, too.” Teague grinned, some of his worry melting away. Love did shit like that.
Carrigan stamped down on the envy threatening to take root. Teague was lucky, and she didn’t begrudge him that, though part of her wished she’d be able to find the same connection with someone. She knew better. If she agreed to marry one of the men on her father’s list, it wouldn’tbe a love match.
“Do you think…” He hesitated. “Do you know which way you’re going?”
She didn’t need him to clarify. “I don’t really have a choice.” The convent hadn’t really been an option for her. It was a bargaining chip she’d used to keep her father’s ambitions at bay. That was it. Her life would have been a lot simpler if she had a higher religious calling.Or if I’d been born with a penis. Maybe then her opinions and plans would actually have had merit in their father’s eyes. “All that’s left is to pick the groom.”
“Don’t make any hasty decisions.”
She laughed. “Teague, I have a month. The only thing left to me is hasty decisions.”
“Just remember—all you need to do is say the word and I’ll get you out.”
She hugged him. “I know.” Just like she knew she’d never say the word. Teague had stood as protector between her and problems in the past. Or tried to. It never quite worked out like either of them wanted it to, and she wasn’t about to place bets that this time would be the exception to the rule.
All that was left to her was to go on the expected dates and pick the least horrible one of the bunch. Then it was a matter of hoping for the best. She could stack the deck in her favor to make up for the lack of choices, but in the end it all came down to whoever she chose to hitch her wagon to. There was no reason to expect that she’d enjoy spending time with any of the men, since she fully expected her father to pick men similar to the caliber of man he was.
God, she hated this.
Carrigan patted her brother’s hand and rose. The longer she procrastinated, the less time she’dultimately have. It was better to bite the bullet now and get this shit started. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure.”
